The Boy Who Was Called Uncoachable

Lately there have been lots of posts about player/coach/parent conflicts. Questions about lack of fairness in playing time, kids and parents who feel entitled to special treatment, parents who worry that the coach has “written their player off,” and so on, and so on….

Lots of times when we read these posts, it’s easy to generalize and make assumptions. I’m just as guilty as anyone.

If the story comes from the coach, we may assume that the player needs an attitude adjustment. And that the parents need a reality check.

Hearing the same account from Mom and Dad, we could easily paint the coach as unreasonable. A “daddy-baller” who’s only in it for the trophies.

We assume that most of these conflicts wouldn’t occur if the player would just work a little harder or if the coach was more understanding.

But sometimes it’s not that simple.

I share the true story below for the player and parents who’ve been sticking it out for way too long, afraid that if they move to a new team, they’ll be labeled as quitters or unstable “team jumpers.” And for the coach who feels like he’s done everything in his power, used every tool in his arsenal to reach a kid and they’re still just not clicking.

(The names below have been changed. I made the mistake of letting my son choose aliases for himself, his friend, his brother and their coaches. If you learn only one thing from this post, it’s don’t let your kid pick out fictitious names for the people in your stories.)

I’m sitting at my son Tarantino’s high school baseball game, watching a group of competent young men easily handling the competition. Jedediah is the first baseman. Though only a freshman, he’s clearly a leader among his peers. Animated and confident, Jedediah makes one great defensive play after another. At the plate, he’s a free-swinging lefty, who, more often than not, finds a gap in right center. In the dugout, his smiling, gregarious nature keeps everyone’s spirits high.

To a stranger, Jedediah might seem like one of those kids whom everything comes easily to. A mixture of natural talent and can-do attitude. A coach’s darling!

But that wasn’t always the case.

Just a year ago, Jedediah and my son were on a travel team together. The Boa Constrictors. It was a different environment with different players and a different coach. Since there were a couple other first basemen, Jedediah was relegated to right field and occasional pitcher. On the mound, he had a strong arm and was crafty with his off-speed stuff, but struggled to maintain composure when things weren’t going his way. Defensively and at bat, Jedediah’s body language revealed a kid who was constantly second guessing himself, whose solid skills and athleticism were sabotaged by his lack of confidence.

Toward the end of the season, it was especially painful watching Jedediah trudge dejectedly back to the dugout after yet another strike out. Or hand the ball back to his coach and step off the mound, his countenance a mixture of failure and relief.

After games, Tarantino would say “Jedediah just needs to trust himself. He knows what to do!” But, as we can all attest, that’s easier said than done.

Their coach, a well-loved former college pitcher, who’d managed successful teams for years, did his best to give each kid plenty of chances to develop their strengths. But after two seasons under Coach Bart’s direction, Jedediah wasn’t making progress. His parents paid for individual lessons and often asked what he needed to work on. They just wanted him to be happy and successful. And he said that he was, in spite of his challenges.

As you might’ve guessed by now, Jedediah’s struggles were not of the mechanical variety. Whoever said that baseball is 90% mental needn’t look farther than this lad to prove his point.

You’re probably thinking, “This is typical stuff! Kids grow. They get stronger, more mature and less awkward with age. It’s common to see players do a radical turnaround within a year.”

But wait! There’s more. So keep reading.

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During the same time that our main character was circling the drain on his travel team, rec league season started. This, of course, led to a third team for Jedediah and Tarantino. The Yard Dogs, managed by perpetually happy-go-lucky, Coach Eagerston, had a cast of different players and uniforms that featured canines instead of snakes.

This is where the crazy thing happened. The boys’ first rec league game was on a Tuesday. This particular Tuesday was just two days after Jedediah had suffered a particularly painful weekend with the Boa Constrictors. Sitting in the bleachers that evening, I expected to see the same self-loathing, second guessing Jedediah I’d known all year. But he wasn’t the same kid at all!!!! His whole demeanor was different.

Stepping out to lead off for the Yard Dogs was a strong, smiling, confident batter! A kid with his head held high, ready to take care of business and get the hit parade started. I had to double check the name on the back of his uniform to make sure I was indeed watching Jedediah. This miraculous about-face continued on the mound, where he casually dominated the competition and had a great time doing it. Game after game during rec season, the struggling, forlorn travel team Jedediah was nowhere to be found.

Yes, I know some of you are probably thinking. “But it’s REC BALL. Geez! You can’t compare rec ball to travel ball. It’s EASY to look like a stud in rec ball!”

Quit being so argumentative and keep reading, okay?

Since travel season was on hiatus for a few months, we got used to the super star rec league Jedediah.

“I bet Jedediah will have a much easier time on the Constrictors when fall season rolls around. He sure has come a long way,” noted Tarantino after one of their last rec league games.

But we’d never get to find out. Because, in working to strengthen the Constrictors for fall, Coach Bart made some changes to his lineup. Changes that didn’t include Jedediah.

When the new team roster was announced, Tarantino was upset. I was upset. My husband and younger son Mace Windu were upset. Our families had become close. We were angry at Coach Bart for cutting a loyal teammate just for the goal of winning more trophies. He hadn’t seen Jedediah lately and all the progress he’d made.

But I think deep down Bart knew that it wasn’t working out, that the two of them just somehow lacked chemistry. And sometimes coaches have to make those hard decisions.

I heard one parent speculate that Bart had to cut him from the team because Jedediah was just “uncoachable.”

How could he say that!!!

I wanted to invite him to a Yard Dogs game to see how great the kid was doing.

But that’s where perspective comes in. The dad who made that judgment had only seen the travel team Jedediah. From that viewpoint, maybe he did seem uncoachable.

A few weeks later, Jedediah joined a different travel team that went on to defeat the Boa Constrictors a couple times with impressive contributions from our main character.

This leads us back to where the story began, the middle of the high school baseball season. The struggling, unconfident Jedediah hasn’t been seen or heard from in a very long time.

In a few weeks, rec season starts up again. I’m looking forward to more Yard Dog action and great memories made under the lights at Rockwood Park.

Here are some questions to see if you’ve been paying attention.

What position did Jedediah play for the Boa Constrictors?

Who should you not allow to choose fictitious names for your blog post characters?

Why do you think Jedediah isn’t a catcher?

What did Coach Bart do in college?

Even though it was hurtful that Jedediah got cut from the Constrictors, do you think it was for the best? Why or why not? (The answer is “yes.” If you put “no,” you got it wrong and will, therefore, have eight points taken off your grade.)

If a player performs poorly for a few months on one team, does that mean he should burn all his baseball equipment and take up crocheting? (Answer wisely. You don’t want to lose another eight points.

11 thoughts on “The Boy Who Was Called Uncoachable”

Tell you son great job on the names, I got a chuckle everytime I read one. I wish some coaches just would pick a different thing to do, we’ve had some bad ones in our day!Mary recently posted…Pound Cake Churro Bites

I read the whole post and now I have to answer a series of questions? Oh my gosh, I don’t have time for this. I have to do my weekly facial. LOL JK dear. I love the names your son’s chose…he has a very creative mind like his mom 🙂 My daughter played softball well into her 20’s. I used to love going to the game and watching the other kids play too. I used to think she was “uncoachable” too..then she started kickin some serious butt! I miss those days.Carolann recently posted…Making The Most Of A Small Backyard

I’m finding that baseball is a pretty cut-throat sport, even at the younger level, as my oldest grandson has become addicted to the game. His leftie-pitching status endears him to coaches. Most of them. Except the assistant one who doesn’t like my little dearie this spring.

Still, he has fun. Let’s hope it lasts. And that good coaches are in his future.

I was on a roll until we hit #8. I was, as always Angela, hanging on every word and feeling the waves of baseball mom nostalgia but missed the reference to night games. And, for the record, I think your son is a masterful namer! Thank you for the chuckles and the trip down memory lane!

I have an 8 yr old small lad that has the passion and hustle for the game he loves and is eager to learn and practice. He struggles just as you say with the body language after an error or base running blunder. Way to hard on himself and as a parent that played the game,I pray each game that he keeps his stuff together during adversity. We have the talks. I tell him I will never fuss at him for making errors or striking out….but I will let him know about the glove throwing and sulking on the bench. It is stressful for me as a caring Dad each game. Again only 8 I know,but take it serious when it comes to attitude. I am getting him some help for his anger issues and well just dealing with issues that can happen when parents are apart and have different enviroments. I have told him about what coaches think if he gets a tude. Showed him many encouraging posts on baseball and how he carries himself. When things are good he is laughing and a great team mate and congrats other team players when they do well. He is “coachable” and he listens and gives his all. Hate when a coach has to tell him to let it go. Feel he has a lot on him which breaks my heart. Praying this will pass soon and he opens up and learns to shake it off. Great read and funny!Thanks….

I live in Australia Angela and I think this is a problem here as well. There is so much pressure on kids to perform and if they don’t enjoy what they are doing and have fun, then the spiral starts. Sometimes it takes moving to another team for a fresh start and a new perspective for all parties. It is great to see kids overcome and start to feel good about themselves. I would probably think of my own names in future LOL:) I’d like to ask your son where he found the names used in this post ha! ha!

I get an A in reading comprehension! I guess this means sometimes you just need a change of environment to thrive. My grandson is 7 and in Little League. Not too competitive yet. We’ll see what the future brings!

I don’t have all of the answers to all of your questions, but I love that you asked them. Good idea. What I got from this is that kids should do (extracurricularly) what they love doing. Oh, and I love the names your son picked. I think he should have his own blog!

I love this story for lots of reasons. My daughter is well on her way to a career in NYC, but she too struggled with a coach, took private lessons and went on to other things. What I took away from that and this post is that when a kid or a person, for that matter, is having FUN…the whole world changes for them. Great post and Jedidiah (yes, don’t let your son pick names again) was a right fielder for the BOA’s.